Advent Activities

Each year we try to do Advent activities with the kids.  Because Catherine will not eat anything, even chocolate, it would not be fair to get a chocolate advent calendar.  So, we were so excited when we found an advent calendar of "the girl Legos" while we were at LEGOLAND.  Like the chocolate advent calendars I got when I was a child, there are little cardboard windows for each day.

Behind each mini door, there is a tiny little kit of LEGOs for the kids to do.  So far two of them have been girls (one brunette, one blonde), one was a bag of accessories for the girls, a jet ski, a lamp post, a tray with drinks, a basket with money, and some little tiny vendor stands.

The girls alternate opening the windows.  They love doing this every day ... there is so much suspense involved!

We also have resumed our "Advent Activities" project.  Last year we could not do this because I could not find the enveloped.  The kids asked about it several times last year, so I was thrilled when I found the envelopes over the summer.  Robby hung a string up in our foyer and clipped 24 envelopes, in order, up.  Each day the kids alternate pulling an envelope down and opening it, finding a card with an activity on it inside.

 I made all the cards & decorated the envelopes with card stock, stickers, and notes I made on paper. 

This is one of my favorite activities, because I don't think we have ever done it.  I am wondering if we just skipped it two years ago or if I changed some of the activities when I located the cards over the summer.  This project started out neatly:

 Sabrina used a lot of bird seed:

 Part way through the project Catherine switched from using her plastic knife to using her hands:

 Sabrina tasted the birdseed:

We placed all the pine cones, as well as some leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving, on a plastic tray in our bird bath.  I sure hope the birds like it:

 Another activity is "make paper chains:"

I had envisioned a paper chain made out of red and green, but the girls insisted on pink and purple:

 Another activity is "color Christmas pictures"

All of the activities are supposed to cost very little money and only take about 10-15 minutes.  We do all of them as a family, so it is a great way to make some great memories!